During the Spring Festival holiday, many vehicles were involved in accidents such as out-of-town insurance claims and vehicle damage caused by fireworks. Post-holiday vehicle insurance claims have also become a focal point of attention. Regarding the damage caused to many vehicles by the setting off of fireworks, relevant personnel from the PICC Property Claims Department stated that if a car is damaged by fireworks while parked, it falls under the category of "damage sustained while parked." As long as the car has subscribed to vehicle damage insurance, most insurance companies will generally compensate for the loss. The reporter discovered that among the three major property insurance companies - PICC Property, Pacific Insurance, and Ping An - there is currently no specific motor vehicle firecracker insurance. Consumers can only rely on vehicle damage insurance, no-deductible insurance, and separate glass breakage insurance for damage assessment and compensation after their vehicles are damaged by fireworks.
However, many insurance companies have established a certain deductible rate. When an insured vehicle incurs losses covered by the insurance policy that should be compensated by a third party but the third party cannot be found, the insurance company will pay a certain percentage of the claim. After comparing the claims regulations of the aforementioned three property insurance companies, the Pacific Insurance Company compensates vehicles with vehicle damage insurance and no-deductible insurance for damages to the body and glass caused by fireworks after damage assessment, but both have a 30% deductible rate, meaning the insurance company will cover 70%. If the glass separate breakage insurance is added at the time of subscription, full compensation can be obtained. Ping An Property Insurance has a 30% deductible rate and only compensates for the body of vehicles with vehicle damage insurance and no-deductible insurance. For glass damage caused by fireworks, compensation can only be obtained after damage assessment if the separate glass breakage insurance is included. Except for differences in vehicle glass coverage compared to Pacific Insurance, the rest of the compensation amounts from PICC Property are basically the same. For vehicles with separate glass breakage insurance, appropriate compensation must be provided based on the specific circumstances after damage assessment.
■ Related News: Dual agency cases dominate during the Spring Festival
According to data received by the reporter from the Beijing branch of PICC Property, due to many car owners driving their vehicles out of town, out-of-town inspection and claims processing accounted for more than half of all cases. From New Year's Eve to the sixth day of the first lunar month, the total number of reported cases was 3,723, a decrease of 16% year-on-year. Among these, dual agency cases reached 1,883, an increase of 42% year-on-year. The average daily processing volume over seven days was around 600 cases, with the peak day handling over 800 cases. About 90% of the cases involved accidents occurring outside the city for vehicles insured locally. The number of local breakdown rescues, local accident rescues, and towing back vehicles from accidents outside the city also increased compared to last year. The number of reported cases of vehicle damage caused by fireworks was 45, significantly fewer than last year's 80. Generally, insurance companies require policyholders to report incidents within 48 hours of vehicle damage or within 24 hours in case of theft. Failure to report promptly may delay the claims process.